Kuwaitis offer citizenship hint

KUWAIT CITY (Reuter) - A senior Kuwaiti government minister has proposed granting nationality to some stateless residents in an attempt to solve one of the Gulf emirate's most sensitive problems.

The Defence Minister, Sheikh Ali Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, said in an interview published in al-Watan newspaper yesterday that some stateless people deserved citizenship for helping in the 1991 Gulf war for the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. It was believed to be the first time a minister, who is also a senior member of Kuwait's ruling family, has made the proposal publicly.